. >> president obama pile on praise that sounds like anything but. a farewell for hillary clinton. i'm fighting a fiscal cough, so pardon that. if it's always darkest. it's clear the white house-re house-republican leaders, both sides appear to be very far apart, saluting kennedy center honorees from dustin hoffman to led zeppelin and hitting the golf links with former president bill clinton. the guy with whom he will have to make a deal to end the standoff on the fiscal cliff house speaker john boehner requested time on fox news to publicly declare the president's opening bid a nonstarter. >> i was flabbergasted. we're nowhere. >> treasury secretary tim geithner did the full ginsberg with taped appearances on all five shows. nothing will happen until budget tax rates and the ball is now in their court. >> the only thing that stands in the way of a deal right now is if a group of republican members decide there have been a block because they can't afford the wealthiest 2% of americans. >> how much is theater and how much are the two sides locked into positions that remain far apart